Riverside / UK

Energy-from-Waste Plant

Turnkey Plant 3 x 31.8 t/h, 79.5 MW

Riverside / UK Energy-from-Waste Plant

Riverside resource recovery facility – a successful end to

a long road to an integrated waste management solution
for London.
The Riverside energy-from-waste plant at Belvedere in the London borough of Bexley is Hitachi Zosen

Inova’s most recent reference project in the UK. With an average annual capacity of 585,000 tonnes,

it will be an important strategic river-served waste management facility for London, helping the capital

to manage its own waste, keeping over 100,000 HGVs off the capital’s congested roads each year and

making a real contribution to London’s ability to meet its landfill diversion targets while at the same time

producing electricity for more than 66,000 homes.

The project is successfully being developed by
Cory Environmental after achieving planning in
2006 followed by a two-stage tender process,
which Hitachi Zosen Inova AG could secure in
early 2007. The second stage consisted of an open
book tender process for the civil works in coopera-
tion with the client. With the decision on the civil
sub-contractor at the end of 2007, financial close
was later achieved on 31st July 2008. The facility
will be owned and operated by Riverside Resource
Recovery Ltd, a subsidiary of Cory Environmental.
Hitachi Zosen Inova AG has assumed in the role
of an EPC contractor. Moreover O&M services are
part of Hitachi Zosen Inova AG’s delivery, which
gave funders comfort with regard to a safe start-up
of the plant and a smooth continuation into the
operational phase. Construction start was in 2008
and the hot commissioning phase is about to be
completed.
Renewable energy for UK’s capital.
As with Hitachi Zosen Inova’s reference in Paris,
the Isséane energy recovery plant, the Riverside
energy-from-waste facility is another example of
an Energy Recovery concept in one of the major
capitals in Europe. Both projects prove today’s
careful consideration with regard to integration
and environmentally friendly concepts, not only
through safe operation but also security in fulfil-
ment of emissions legislation. Moreover, the focus
is energy recovery and the Riverside facility is
the only energy-from-waste plant in Europe which
is obliged to reach a net electrical efficiency of
27%. The plant is expected to exceed this limit by
implementing multiple recovery technologies as
well as high steam conditions. Since the plant is
also located in a developing area, the water-steam
cycle of the plant was designed for future possible
heat off-take for local district heating schemes. The
Hitachi Zosen Inova AG expertise with such highly
complex process designs was a key element for its
selection as EPC contractor.
The technical set-up for safe and economical
energy recovery.
After various materials have been separated for
recycling (in a new 85ktpa MRF currently under
construction) via kerbside recycling schemes and
the network of Household Waste Recycling Sites,
the residual waste can be delivered to the plant.
Only 15% of the waste will be delivered to the site
directly by lorries. The remaining 85% of the waste
is delivered to the site by barges. At the jetty, the
containers are unloaded onto lorries, which will
then tip-off the residual waste into a bunker within
the waste reception hall. The waste is thoroughly
mixed in the bunker by a crane and then fed into
one of the feed hoppers of the three process
trains. Each train has a four-pass boiler with a
thermal capacity of 79.5 MW. The waste passes
down a feed chute onto the four-row Hitachi Zosen
Inova grate. The moving grate mixes and agitates
the waste to allow an optimal burnout of the
diverse waste fractions. In addition to this, a fully
integrated control system allows for continuous
adjustments of combustion conditions for
the safest and most efficient operation possible.
The process reduces the waste volume received
by up to 90%. The burnt out ash passes through
the ash discharger onto an ash handling system.
 15
12

20
3

19
4 22

1 18 21
16
5 27
10 25 26
6 17 24

11
2
14
8 28
7
13 23

©
9

Waste receiving Combustion and Flue gas treatment Residue handling

and storage boiler and treatment

1 Tipping hall 4 Feed hopper 12 Primary air intake 20 SNCR injection levels 27 Ash conveying system
2 Waste pit 5 Ram feeder 13 Primary air fan 21 Semi-dry reactor 28 Residue conveying
3 Waste crane 6 Hitachi Zosen Inova 14 Primary air distribution 22 Fabric filter system
grate 15 Secondary air intake 23 Induced draft fan
7 Bottom ash discharger 16 Secondary air / flue gas 24 Silencer
8 Bottom ash conveyor gas recirculation fan 25 Condensate preheater
9 Bottom ash pit 17 Secondary air / flue gas 26 Stack
10 Bottom ash crane recirculation injection
11 Bottom ash loading 18 Start-up burner
station 19 Four-pass boiler

The bottom ash is loaded into special containers, which will be fur-
ther transported by barges, using the same system of water transport
as the waste when being delivered to the facility. All these processes
take place within enclosed areas. The bottom ash is sent for process-
ing and reuse within the construction industry, for cover material
or for disposal. By means of a metal separation process, ferrous and
nonferrous material is also gained for recycling purposes.
Pyrolytic gas produced in the combustion process pass is mixed with
secondary air and recirculated flue gas, which are injected tangential-
ly at high velocity into the secondary combustion chamber above the
grate, resulting in intensive mixing and the complete burnout of the
pyrolytic gas. This is a first step in reducing emission levels. In paral-
lel, the NOx-levels are maintained by means of Selective Non-Cata-
lytic Reduction. The raw gas then passes through a water tube boiler
where it is cooled while the water of the closed water-steam cycle is
superheated. The superheated steam is then expanded by means of
a turbo-generator. As a result, electricity is produced to supply the
facility thereby allowing island operation as well as the export for
over 90% of the produced energy to the national grid.
The energy recovery concept of the facility is also designed for
potential off-take of steam or hot water for district heating purposes
for future developments.
After leaving the horizontal last pass of the boiler and having
extracted as much energy as possible by still maintaining sufficient
temperature levels for efficient and reliable removal of pollutents,
the cleaning takes place in the semi-dry system consisting of a
reactor in combination with a fabric filter. The well proven semi-dry
system technology keeps the plant in safe compliance with the
Emission limits of the European Union by operating below them.
As reagents, lime and activated carbon are used for the removal
of gaseous pollutants, including heavy metals and dioxins. Small
particles are separated in the fabric filter. The facility is also prepared
to be operated with bicarbonate as the reagent in the event that this
would prove to be suitable in the future.
The residues resulting from the flue gas treatment are then either
recycled (in the case of bicarbonate) or sent for safe disposal by an
appropriate facility. The cleaned flue gas is finally released into the
atmosphere through the stack.
Hitachi Zosen Inova AG Phone +41 44 277 11 11
Hardturmstrasse 127 Fax +41 44 277 13 13
P.O. Box 680 info@hz-inova.com
8037 Zurich www.hz-inova.com
Switzerland

Riverside / UK Energy-from-Waste Plant

General project data

Owner and operator Riverside Resource Recovery Ltd., subsidiary of Cory Environmental
Start of operation 2011
Total investment EUR 400 million
Scope of Hitachi Zosen Inova AG General contractor for entire plant, including civil works and jetty
Plant design Hitachi Zosen Inova AG

Technical data
Annual capacity 585,000 t/a
Number of trains 3
Throughput per train 31.8 t/h
Calorific value of waste 7.0 MJ/kg (min), 13 MJ/kg (max)
Thermal capacity per train 79.5 MW
Waste type Domestic solid waste

Combustion system
Grate type Hitachi Zosen Inova grate R-100104
Grate design 4 rows with 5 zones per row
Grate size Length: 10.25 m, width: 10.40 m
Grate cooling Air-cooled

Boiler
Type Four-pass boiler, horizontal
Steam quantity per train 96.5 t/h
Steam pressure 72 bar
Steam temperature 427°C
Flue gas outlet temperature 190°C

Flue gas treatment

Concept SNCR, semi-dry system
Flue gas volume per train 170,000 m3/h

Energy recovery
Type Extraction-condensation turbine
Electric power 65 MW at 100%

Residues
Bottom ash 146,250 t/a
Flue gas treatment 10,015 t/a

Special features
Waste deliveries By barges via the river Thames
Bottom ash transport By barges